Challenge

Revolutionizing a 65-year-old organization is no small feat, but that’s exactly the challenge they approached us with. Our mission? To help them understand and address their current state and help them plan for their desired future state. Their goals included the modernization of tools and processes for a better customer experience and diversifying how they make money.

Over the years, the team has had to maneuver through numerous changes in their processes and systems – all while trying to optimize the customer experience. As complex challenges loom over every line of service, modernization was paramount for future growth. Employees were armed with a vast amount of tribal knowledge but lacked process efficiency due to manual operations as well as outdated legacy systems that no longer properly supported customers or internal teams. It became increasingly difficult to maintain high standards as client demand increased in a predominantly manual environment.

To add to the complexity of their issues, as individuals left their roles, they could not pass on information like workarounds, creating an obstacle course for a new employee. The learning atmosphere was filled with siloed workarounds, bad habits, and frustrated employees.

At a glance, it was clear that the enterprise was saddled with an outdated system and processes which had been cobbled together without any input from users. This made their dated technology unable to meet its full potential in terms of collecting data or expressing insights. There simply wasn’t one reliable source where anyone could find up-to-date information on anything related to operations meaning there was no easy way for departments within the organization to easily connect with each other.

Approach

We kicked off the project with a map of the current state – the discovery phase. It’s essential that we engage everyone on day one; change management needs to start in the beginning and stay consistent throughout. Bold innovation was required in order to maintain success as well as drive it forward. Our findings determined that a simplified and fit-for-purpose multi-system technology stack with cross-functional integration was needed to play a major role in their digital transformation. We evaluated CRM and CCaaS systems which were appropriate from a cost perspective as well as the business requirements and business needs.

The key areas we focused on were reducing manual processes, upgrading homegrown legacy systems, and reducing compartmentalized data. All of these were important aspects of a plan to reach their future desired state. We first conducted a contact center analysis that identified gaps in information and manual processes, shadow IT, legacy systems that would often shut down or freeze, and outdated or non-existent SOPs. Some of the process employees weren’t sure of it and did not have anywhere to verify its steps so they made up their own. Armed with a vision to modernize, we worked diligently together on an uphill battle that would ultimately lead them to success. It was no small feat, but by taking all those steps in unison we achieved something remarkable!

Result

We provided the organization with a blueprint for success. The process map not only gave an honest view of the current process reality, but also highlighted process waste, gaps in integration, technology landscape inefficiencies, and process risks. Thanks to our detailed process map, which exceeded 200 pages long, they’ll be able to increase productivity and precision through automation technology – with gains of 36% in productivity and more than 50% fewer human errors! With these improvements in place, this company will not only expand its business but offer an improved experience tailored specifically for its customers – giving them the edge needed to reach their future stated goals.